One of the distinguishing features of west coast swing is the elastic look and feel of the dance. This effect of stretching away from each other before moving in the same direction is distinct from the rock step motion that characterizes other forms of swing. Most dancers first learn about elasticity on the anchor. At… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: stretching
The Challenge of West Coast Swing
West coast swing is generally regarded as one of the most challenging social dances to learn. The purpose of this post is to explore some of the reasons why WCS can be challenging in order to help dancers understand why learning WCS can be difficult. Obviously, I believe that west coast is well worth the… Continue Reading
Stretching: Learning the Arc of Momentum
From a physics perspective, what happens when someone goes bungee jumping is remarkably similar to the stretching that should happen on an anchor in WCS, according to Robert Royston. Let’s say that you have a bungee cord that is 20 feet long, and you jump off a bridge. For the first 20 feet down, you… Continue Reading